


Not Just Friends

by powerofveto



Category: Big Brother RPF
Genre: Big Brother CBS, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Sexual Content, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-04
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 18:17:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6162326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/powerofveto/pseuds/powerofveto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liz didn't think of Austin that way to begin with. She's sure of that much. But now, things are changing and the answers aren't so clear anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gone Too Far

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, this is my first fanfiction about Big Brother. The story's not necessarily going to follow exactly what happened in the game, as it's pretty complicated and it's been a while. But it will loosely cover the events of BB17, focusing on the Liztin relationship. Hope you enjoy, even if you weren't a fan of the couple in the house, and take it for what it's worth. Enjoy!

At first, Liz had never considered the possibility that she could ever like Austin as more than a friend.

To say he wasn't her type was an understatement. She went for the typical Miami guy - tall enough with short dark hair, a devilish smirk, and a little extra money in the bank. Jerks, maybe - full of themselves, a little bit of an ego.

She liked that type well enough. They were fun, got her into the most exclusive clubs, and treated her like a princess. Austin was nothing like that. He was taller than any guy she'd ever been with before, and not by a little. He was huge and muscled, with tattoos covering his arms and chest. And his hair. She could probably count on one hand the number of guys she'd known in Miami with long hair. And it was seriously long. Not like Jace's, which fell just below his shoulders, but crazy long. And his ponytail beard - she'd never seen anything like that before.

But the biggest reason she'd never thought of him that way was the fact that he had a girlfriend. Not just some girl he'd been hooking up with for a few months, but a real, serious girlfriend that he'd been with for two years. When she first met him in those early days of the game when no one really new each other and the awkwardness was palpable, he used to talk about her. Jen. How he loved her, how beautiful she was, how much fun they had together. But now, it was like she didn't exist to him. That day she'd come to the HOH room and he'd told her how they'd been fighting, how she'd threatened to end it, how their relationship was so rocky. How he liked her.

Now, she didn't know what to think. Her mind was buzzing with the uncertainty of it all. She knew he'd been crushing on her for a while, pushing the boundaries of their friendship. That wasn't alarming to her at first, though. She was a flirt, and she was hot with long slim legs, a toned stomach, and an ass and boobs that didn't go unnoticed by men. She'd played this game before, with the male friend laying it on a bit, testing the waters. She liked teasing them a bit, letting them think that maybe she was into them. She loved to see how much they wanted her, and she loved being the temptress who could just as easily give in to their affections as turn away and leave them hanging.

This was different though. She never should have let things get this far. Vanessa had warned her about the situation, but she'd brushed it off for the most part. She didn't want to say anything to Austin, she couldn't.

Besides Julia, she knew he was the one she trusted most in this game. She even thought now that he'd give up his game for her. He told her everything, filled her in on what others were saying. And he was smart. Good with his words, clever, funny. He'd helped her so much in the game, not only strategically, but emotionally. He was fun to talk to, fun to hang out with. Without him, she might just go insane.

But lately it had been going too far. The day before she'd be out lying in the sun by the pool in her bikini, and he followed her. He lay down beside her and they talked for a while. She could see him looking at her body, gazing at her breasts and her taut stomach. She felt his eyes on her as if they were laser beams. Somehow in the middle of the conversation, his hand began to roam her stomach, feeling her smooth skin. He'd touched her over her clothes before, hugged her too tight at times, but this was _different_.

Her eyes widened behind her sunglasses as the hairs on her body stood up in alert. She said nothing, made no sound of discomfort or surprise, as he continued simultaneously talking about the game and rubbing her stomach. His hand trailed down lower, skimming the edge of her bikini bottoms. She almost swatted his hand away. But then it moved upward again, to safer territory, and she relaxed again - as much as she could.

Yes, things were progressing. And she didn't quite know how she felt about it.

\---

She was in the kitchen early this morning. Most of the house was still deeply asleep, but ever since about 7:30 that morning she'd been awake, unable to drift back to sleep until noon like she usually did. Austin had been pressed close to her, so close that she could feel his deep, slow breathing. His arm had been wrapped around her when she drifted awake, pressing her to his side.

She had laid there for a while, not adjusting his arm. It was strong and heavily muscled like the rest of him, but it was gentle on her back. She was turned away from him, the way she usually slept, near the edge of the bed. She knew she should feel uncomfortable. She should gently remove his arm from around her. At the very least, she should want to move his arm. But somehow, it comforted her. There was something about it she liked, something about his need to protect her, even in sleep. His desire to be near her.

She didn't need his protection, though. She had thought he was going home until the day before, until Shelli and Clay had convinced Vanessa to let him stay after he betrayed Julia to Jason. No, betrayed both of them, she thought. Betraying Julia was betraying her.

Yet Liz couldn't really imagine he'd done it to hurt her. She knew he liked her - liked her as much more than a friend, but liked her all the same. She trusted him, even when Vanessa had been telling her all the reasons why she shouldn't and dragging his name through the mud. No matter what Vanessa - who was undoubtedly a great social strategist - had said, she had still trusted him, still believed in him. Somewhere in her gut she knew Jason had embellished what Austin said, twisted it to make him look worse than he was.

And yet, maybe this was her chance to break away from him a little. Julia would be coming into the house soon, and she'd have her twin - her best friend, her everything - with her. She would be able to tell Julia everything, all her fears, everything she'd relied on Austin for. Maybe she wouldn't need him anymore, and he'd get the hint that they shouldn't be more than friends.

Now, Liz stood in the empty kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee and looking around at the empty Big Brother house. The backyard was still closed before the eviction, and she wished they'd open it soon. She wanted to go outside and be completely alone for a while. She needed to feel the sun on her skin. She was getting pale from being inside so much. Maybe she should ask for spray tan in her HOH basket. She couldn't be walking around looking like a fucking vampire from Twilight.

It was then she heard the soft but heavy footsteps that she knew could only come from one 6'5 houseguest. She turned to see Austin approaching, shirtless as usual, his eyes still sleepy.

"Good morning, Liz," he said warmly, his voice still gruff from sleep.

"You look like you could use some coffee," she said lightly. "Want me to pour you a cup?"

"Sure. But don't dump half the pot of sugar in it. I prefer my coffee not tasting like pure sugar."

She pretended to be annoyed. "Fine, I'll make your boring ass coffee the way you like it-uhh." She turned to prepare his coffee with half a smile on her face.

He smiled. "Thank you. How'd you sleep?"

She shrugged. "Like usual, I guess. I'm just pissed the backyard's closed. I wanted to tan a little because I look like a freaking ghost right now."

"A hot ghost."

She smirked. "Of course a hot ghost. But still, no girl wants to look this fucking pale. God, I miss Miami." She finished with his coffee, pouring in the half and half, stirring it slightly, and handing it to him.

"I've been wanting to go back to Miami sometime," he said after taking a sip of coffee. "It's fun down there."

"Yeah, it's pretty fun." She frowned all of a sudden. "I'm getting kind of sick of it though. There's not that much to do, besides going to the beach and clubbing. And I've told you, I'm pretty much done with clubbing. It's not a lifestyle for me like it is for some of the girls. Like, if you're 25 and still go clubbing every night you need to get a life."

He nodded. "Yeah. Too many people go down that path. I've seen so many people burn out here in LA from doing that. You have to move forward and actually do something with your life."

Liz grinned. "Like wrestling?" She wanted to push his buttons a little, felt the heat rising in her chest. He could take it. He knew that she liked to tease him, liked to annoy him. He knew she didn't mean anything by it.

"What's wrong with wrestling?"

"Nothing. But it's not exactly what most people think of when they're talking about a real job," she said, taunting.

"Hey, hey, hey," Austin said, feigning outrage. "Who says you need to have a 9 to 5 for it to be a real job? Honestly, those jobs suck the life out of you. Weren't you just telling me yesterday about how much you hate working 9 to 5? When we were in the pool together?"

Liz blushed despite herself. But she just a quickly recovered. "Yeah, I fucking hate working 9 to 5," she said. "I don't think I'll go back to my old job when I get out of here. I want to do something different. I want to make something out of this opportunity. This is literally a once-in-a lifetime chance to get out there and make a name for yourself. For me, and -" she looked around quickly, making sure it was just her and Austin in the room - " _Julia_ ," she finished quickly.

Austin smiled. "You won't have to keep that secret for much longer."

Her heart swelled as she thought of Julia entering the house. She missed her sister so much. The few minutes she got to see her every few days was nowhere near enough. She suddenly couldn't contain it.

"Oh Austin, I can't wait to see her. I'm just so glad we made it this far."

Everything happened so fast then; she met his eyes and then she was in his arms. She felt him holding her close, her head just under his shoulder. His lips brushed her cheek in a quick kiss. She didn't pull away then, and they embraced for a few more moments before she finally did. She looked up at him for a few seconds, and he looked down at her. His eyes were large and warm, and the look in them made her feel a way she couldn't quite describe.

And just as quickly, the moment was over.

"Morning guys!"

They turned to see Becky walking into the kitchen, already dressed in a a tank top and denim shorts. 

"Morning Becky," said Liz quickly. "You want some coffee? I made a pot."

"Sure," said Becky. "Thanks, Liz."

Becky was pretty enough, Liz thought. Athletic body, pretty eyes, good smile. Even getting hit by a bus hadn't done much to ruin her looks. But Austin liked _her_ , thought _she_ was prettier. He'd told her that a few nights ago on the hammock. She'd been annoyed at the time, but she'd also felt a swell of pride, the way she always did when men reminded her of her beauty. She knew she was the prettiest girl in the house, but Becky was probably second. Or maybe Shelli - but Shelli was too short, and her teeth were too big. No, Becky was definitely the second prettiest, but that didn't matter because she was the first. Jeff had wanted her badly. It had been fun to tease him a little.

She pushed herself out of the train of thought that had consumed her. _Coffee for Becky_ , she reminded herself. As she prepared it, she heard Becky and Austin chatting, discussing the weather. Austin was telling her about his workout plan for that day, and she was telling him hers. _They seem pretty damn compatible,_ she thought, as she finished with the coffee and handed the steaming cup to Becky.  _If things were different, maybe he'd be going for her instead of me._

She wasn't sure how she felt about that. 


	2. First Kiss

One day.

One day and Julia would be here, and everything would be okay. As Liz was washing the dishes that night, all she could think of was her twin. The sound of people talking around her seemed to fade into the background for a moment as she envisioned her sister walking in the front door. She knew that as soon as she walked in she'd run to her and put her arms around her, and nothing would stop the two of them, nothing at all. No matter what schemes were hatched up by the other side of the house, no matter who threw who under the bus, they'd find a way. No matter what crazy thing Vanessa was saying now, or what the Goblins tried to do -

"Liz?" Vanessa's voice cut through her thoughts. 

Liz put down the sponge and looked up to Vanessa. Her beanie was pulled down low over her head. Like usual, her eyes looked tired from strategizing all night instead of sleeping, and her dark eye makeup wasn't doing her any favors. 

"Liz, I think you're in your own little world tonight," Vanessa said with a knowing smile. Of course, Liz had told her about Julia coming in to the house the following night right after the live eviction. She couldn't say anything explicit though, because Jackie and James were right there.

"I'm just tired I guess," said Liz with a yawn. "This week has been _so_ stressful." Quickly, not wanting to start anything with Jackie or James, she added, "I can't wait for them to let us outside again. I need some sun!"

Jackie smiled. "Yeah, us girls need a pool day."

"For sure," Vanessa agreed.

Jackie had never really liked her, Liz thought. She knew the girl saw her as competition. But they were pretty similar in a lot of ways, and lately she'd been enjoying hanging by the pool and getting to know Jackie. That didn't mean she'd have any problem voting her out, though. All the Goblins - James, Jackie, Meg, Jason, and maybe even Becky all had to get out of the game. They put her alliance in jeopardy.

"Yeah, I can get behind a pool day," said James grinning mischievously. "Y'all walking around in your bikinis all day is what I call a good day."

"James-uhh!" Liz scolded, but they all laughed. 

Moments later Austin walked in from the parlor room. He and Johnny Mac had been working out inside, and he was sweaty from the exercise. Sweat glistened off his bare chest. His abs looked more defined today. Some days they were barely visible, and some days they stood out. Liz noticed these things.

"How was your work out?" Vanessa asked as he entered the kitchen. 

"Okay, I guess. As good as you can get when they coop us up in the house," said Austin. "There's only so much you can do."

Liz looked over her shoulder at him. "You getting grumpy?" She teased. "You get grumpy when they keep us locked in."

"Only a little," he mumbled. He opened the fridge and pulled out a protein shake he'd made earlier that day. He took a large swig of it and put it down  on the counter. 

"You better put that away," she chided. "You always leave your shit everywhere."

"I do _not,"_ Austin protested.

"Oh yeah? It's not just the protein shake, you're always leaving your clothes all over the floor too. And you always say you're clean, but I bet you're so messy in real life too!"

"Oh, here we go," said James. "Y'all act like an old married couple."

Jackie and Vanessa laughed. Liz felt heat rising to her cheeks. James was  _such_ an instigator.

"It's true!" she combated. "How many times has he left his protein shakes on the counter? Vanessa, back me up."

Vanessa giggled and put her hands up. "I'm staying out of this one. You two can settle it."

Austin looked at her with that smirk on his face that'd she'd become so accustomed to. "Yeah, let's settle this issue in private," he said smoothly, staring right into her eyes.

"What issue! It's a fact!" Liz huffed, but she knew she'd lost at this point. He wanted to be alone with her, she knew, and right now she didn't really care. She was in a good mood, Julia was coming into the house, and lying down in bed with Austin didn't seem like a bad thing right now. 

Austin walked toward the comic room, and after a few moments she followed. Vanessa, James, and Jackie were engaged in a different conversation now, and it seemed they'd lost interest in talking about Liz and Austin.  _Good. They don't need to think we have some sort of...romantic relationship or something._

When the door of the comic room shut behind her and she was alone in the comic room with Austin, she felt a feeling of relief. Dealing with the rest of the house could be so exhausting. She always had to watch what she said, especially about being a twin. Well, soon she wouldn't have to. 

"Were you actually pissed at me out there?" asked Austin as soon as she entered. "I can usually when you're joking around, but I couldn't back there."

Liz sighed and looked up at him. "No. I mean, you are messy as hell, but no. I just need to bite you sometimes."

Austin raised his eyebrows. "Bite me?"

"Like, scold you for being bad." She couldn't help the smile that came then. She loved that confused look on his face. "My mom bites my dad too. I have to bite you to keep you in line."

"Wait, your mom bites your dad?"

"Shut up!" She swatted at him, and he twisted her arm lightly. She giggled, trying to get out of his hold. As she was doing this, he reached out to tickle her under the arm with the other hand.

"Hey! No tickling!" She protested, but he ignored her, released her arm to try and grab her by the stomach to tickle her. She pulled away, slapping lightly at his chest.

They had ended up getting close to the bed, and she hopped on it to escape him. He hopped onto it next to her, still trying to get at under her arms to tickle her. She was laughing hard, trying to push him away. 

"Do you surrender?" he asked, holding back laughter. 

"Never," she threw back. But at this point he'd managed to pin both her arms back, and resistance was futile. She choked back laughter as he tickled her under her arms and on her stomach.

"One more chance, Liz," he warned.

"Okay, okay, fine! I surrender!" Liz felt him release her, and she breathed a deep sigh of relief from the agony of being tickled nonstop. He laughed beside her.

She lay there on the bed beside him for a few moments, recovering her breath. Suddenly she realized all of a sudden how this must look. Her hair was all messed up, and her makeup was probably a little smudged. What was she doing?

 

Liz turned to face him. Their heads were close together. His hair was frizzy as usually, splayed out over his shoulders. His glasses were off; he must have put them away before his workout. She looked at his face for a moment before replying. 

"I can't wait. It's killing me to think how nervous she must be, though. She doesn't know she's coming in. I don't think production's allowed to tell her. For all she knows, I'm still on the block."

Austin nodded. "I know it's hard. But you've been so strong without her. You've really proven yourself as an individual player. People can't discredit you now, or say you had it easy because your twin was in the house." His voice was soft, gentle. Loving, even. His eyes were warm.

Liz felt her eyes watering. She couldn't help it. "I was so scared you were going to get put on the block," she whispered. "I really thought Vanessa was going to do it, Austin. Like, I don't know what I would have done if that had happened."

"But it didn't," he said, softly but firmly. "It didn't happen because you were up there with her, telling her not to put me up. Convincing her. If it wasn't for you, I'd be sitting on that block right now instead of Jason."

Liz shook her head. "It was Shelli and Clay, not me."

"Bullshit, Liz. Vanessa trusts you. Maybe Clay and Shelli pushed her over the edge, but if it wasn't for you defending me she never would have been on that edge to begin with."

Neither of them spoke for a moment, letting the words sink in. Austin leaned closer to her and began stroking her hair, and she let him. It felt nice. It felt safe. She felt safe with him. 

"I'm just so glad you're not on the block," she whispered to him, closing her eyes. "I told you I needed your ass, and I still do."

"I'm never leaving you, I promise," he responded, his voice almost inaudible. "I told you I would keep you safe, that I'd protect you in this game, and I'm going to keep that promise."

Liz sighed, softly. "Good." The feeling of his fingers brushing through her hair was relaxing. She felt as if she could fall asleep, right then, with him so close to her. She could sleep now, and when she woke up it'd be time for the eviction and Jason would walk out that door. And Julia would come in... Oh, it was all going to work out. 

And then Austin stopped stroking her hair. He leaned over her and his hand was on her cheek, lifting her face toward his. And then his lips were on hers, and they were soft, softer than she'd imagined they could be. And then he was kissing her, twice, and she kissed him back twice. And then he released her and it was over and her head was swirling with a million thoughts and she couldn't breathe. 

She buried her head in the blanket.  _Oh my god, what just happened?_

Austin was chuckling. "That was nice."

She whisked the blanket off of her face. "You are so _annoying_ ," she whined, enunciating each word.  _What the hell was that,_ she wanted to demand. What the hell was that, and why hadn't she hated it?

"What, you kissed me back," Austin complained. He looked almost hurt. What did he expect?

"That was  _such_ a sneak attack," she complained, but her words didn't sound as irritated as she meant them to be. That stupid smile was on her face. What was wrong with her? What was wrong with him?

He smirked at her, reaching for her to pull her to him. "I couldn't help myself. I can't help myself around you. You're too irresistible."

She felt a familiar feeling in her belly, sort of like butterflies, but somehow different. "Well, all the cameras got us. They got us, Austin." She was trying to make herself more annoyed about this whole thing. She should be, she knew she should be. And yet somehow she wasn't.

"Who cares about the cameras?" he almost seemed annoyed then. "We like each other. They love it, anyway. People at home have been waiting for this moment."

Liz couldn't think of a rebuttal just then. She couldn't really think of anything. That kiss had stunned her, knocking the wind out of her and the thoughts right out of her brain.  _God damn him. What the hell was wrong with Austin Matelson?_

 _"_ I'm taking a nap," she said, rolling over suddenly. "No more kisses."

"No more kisses," he agreed. "I'll take a nap, too."

"All right." She closed her eyes, but she couldn't sleep. 

What would Julia think? She'd probably be pissed. The last time she saw her sister, she'd hated Austin's guts, telling her how Austin had revealed her identity to Jason, how they couldn't trust Austin. She'd called him pretty much every name in the book. Liz had even told her sister she'd stay away from him more. Of course, that was before she talked to Austin and found out the details. Still, she couldn't help feeling that she'd gone behind Julia's back.

But  _he_ kissed _me._ Surely Julia could blame her for that. She couldn't have known he was going to kiss her. 

Then her thoughts drifted to her parents. What would they think? They wouldn't approve of Austin, she knew that much. They hated tattoos, and he was tatted pretty much from head to toe. And he was a wrestler, not the business type that she usually brought home, the kind that could afford a condo and a sports car at twenty-five. No, they wouldn't approve.

What would viewers think? Did they like Liztin, as Jason had named them? Were they the new Brenchel, as Austin thought? Were the viewers cheering for them? Or did they think Austin was a cheater and Liz was a slut? Did they even know Austin had a girlfriend coming into the house? 

She thought of Ryan then. She'd broken things off with him before she entered the house, but they had still sort of planned on getting back together. She knew he loved her, in the only way he really knew how. She knew she didn't love him. She loved the way he looked, though he could be taller. She loved the sex they had, too. But he wouldn't even meet her family. Would be be feeling jealous right now? She almost hoped he was. 

She hadn't even considered what she thought of the kiss before she fell into a light, unsettled sleep. 


	3. Chapter 3

"So, there's something I have to tell you," said Liz after Austin had finally left her alone with Julia in the comic room.

Julia looked at her sister indignantly, her eyes wide with anticipation. "What?" she demanded. 

Liz took a deep breath and swallowed. Julia was not going to be happy to hear this. In fact, she'd probably be pissed. Ever since she walked through the door and saw Austin was still in the house, she'd been tense. Liz had briefly explained the situation to her sister earlier, and Julia had acted like everything was okay, but Liz knew her sister better than that. Julia might seem polite, but she was  _pissed._ And confused as hell. This certainly wasn't going to improve her mood, but Julia had to know what was happening. And she didn't think she could keep the secret of the kiss from her sister any longer.

"Austin kissed me last night." She said it flatly, with no emotion, and braced for her sister's reaction.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Julia. Her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. "I knew he liked you, but seriously? He has a girlfriend!"

Liz bristled. "I know. But it's complicated. That's what he says anyway. They were on the rocks before he got on the show. She didn't want him to go on the show, and -"

"Liz, it doesn't even matter. I thought you didn't like him?"

"I don't."

Julia rolled her eyes. "You need to tell him, then, because he obviously thinks you do. And anyway, after everything he's done - I don't trust him. And honestly Liz, you shouldn't either."

Liz hesitated. "I know what he said was wrong, and he's probably, like, minimizing what he said a little - but he's been the only one in the game I can talk to, who gets me, you know -"

"I get that, I really do, but he told Jason my name, Liz! He told him about the twin twist! There's no way I can ever trust him now. Do you get it?" Julia was about as angry as Liz had ever seen her, even that one time when she got super drunk after attending Mardi Gras when they were in college in New Orleans.

"Of course, Juj," Liz said. "But right now he's an ally. I know you hate him, but you can't go around saying that to his face, okay? It would put our whole alliance in jeopardy."

Julia looked fierce in her NOLA sweatshirt, her hair messy and her eyeliner on point as usual. But her sister seemed to hear the common sense in her words, and nodded. "Just promise me something, Liz."

"What?"

Julia looked her straight in the eye, dead serious. "We can only trust each other in this game. Not Vanessa, definitely not Austin. I trust Vanessa more than Austin, though. But we have to know that at the end of the day, we look out for each other and no one else."

Liz returned her sister's gaze, eyes steady. "I promise, Julia."

\--

Avoiding Austin wasn't going well so far. 

Liz was resting on the hammock by herself that afternoon. She and Julia had been on it together, catching up about their lives in the game and outside of it, when her sister was abruptly called by the diary room. Liz was left alone, using one long leg to rock herself and staring at her only entertainment - Austin working out.

He was doing deadlifts, and she couldn't say it wasn't impressive. He was deadlifting almost 300 pounds, and seeing his muscles shining with sweat in the lazy heat of early August wasn't exactly hard on the eye. She had a thing for guys with muscles, and had been disappointed by the fact that most of her past boyfriends were pretty weak. There was something about Austin's strength that was pretty hot. It didn't mean she was into Austin, though, she told herself. 

Austin finished the deadlifts, letting the weight fall to the grass. He looked up and smiled at her, and she smiled back. She wasn't even thinking she should be avoiding him at that moment, but when he started walking toward the hammock, she realized she probably could have been a little less encouraging. It wasn't even that she didn't want to spend time with him, but she felt bad after telling Julia she'd keep her distance the night before.

Austin adjusted the hammock as he moved onto it, his weight causing the hammock to buckle a little. Liz scooted over, making room for him. He wrapped his arms around her and she felt his sweat on her skin. Part of her was grossed out and part of her was - and she hesitated to even think this - a little turned on. 

"I missed you," he told her. "I know you have to catch up with her, but it's not the same living in here without you."

"We've literally just been going over everything that's happened in the entire game," Liz mumbled. "I'm exhausted, honestly. I just want to forget about the game for a while."

Austin sighed. "Yeah, I want to forget about it too, for a while. It's crazy when you remember this is all taking place in a parking lot. All of this shit that's going on - the betrayals, the backstabbing, whatever - it's not real. We're characters on a TV show."

He always had something smart to say, something that made her think. "Yeah. We're in a parking lot," she said, laughing a little. "This is all happening in a parking lot."

He smiled. "That's what I think about when shit gets too crazy in here. Just when I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"I feel like we all lost our minds a long time ago."

"Maybe. But it's worth it."

She rolled her eyes. "For half a million dollar prize. _Duh_."

Austin shook his head. "It's not just that though. I've met some really great people - well, at least one really amazing girl - that's made all this worth it, no matter what happens."

Liz raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? She must be pretty amazing. What's she like?"

"Well...she's tall, and has blonde hair. And a really cute smile," Austin began. 

Liz was blushing, and couldn't help the small smile that was growing on her face. Austin's hand was stroking her again, and she was very aware of the fact that only a skimpy bikini lay between him and her bare skin.

"And?" she asked.

"And, she is amazingly beautiful. With a great body. And she's fun, and funny, and a little bit feisty.

"That's why you like me," Liz said.

"Yep," said Austin matter-of-factly. His hands were around her waist, until one drifted up to her stomach, stroking it rhythmically. The other began to caress her thighs, drifting up dangerously close to her ass. 

She could have pushed him away, but she didn't. She knew things were getting into dangerous territory again, but she couldn't make herself care. Not when the feel of his hands on her skin was sending goosebumps all over her body, not when she was beginning to feel that familiar stir in her lower belly. She gazed at him from under her sunglasses. His dark brown eyes met hers. 

Tentatively, she reached one hand to touch his hair. It was damp with sweat, but she didn't mind. It was thick and curly, and her fingers began to glide through it smoothly, in time with his stroking of her body. She was gazing at his lips, the same lips that had claimed hers two nights before. Suddenly, she knew she wanted him to kiss her again. 

Her hand moved from his hair to his chest, and she began stroking it softly. Her fingers drifted from near his collarbone to his abs, which were prominent today. His skin was hard and smooth, and she felt the hardness of his abs clearly. 

He stopped stroking her thigh and laid the hand on her cheek. Like he had before, he gently turned her face to meet his, and their lips met. The kiss was quick and gentle, a simple peck, and it was over before it began. 

"You have the most perfect lips," Austin said. "I've been dreaming about them since our first kiss."

"Oh shut  _up._ That was like yesterday," Liz snapped.

"Two days ago."

"Oh, whatever." But there was a lightness in her voice that she knew he heard, a warmth that suggested that she wasn't actually annoyed that he'd said that. 

He pulled her close to him so that they were spooning there on the hammock. She was still facing a little away from him, but his crotch was against her ass. He was wearing those shorts with the flowers on them, and the material was scratchy against her thighs and lower back. His arms were around her, holding her firmly to him. His mouth was against her ear, and she could feel his breath.

 _God, what if someone came outside and saw this?_ They were the only two out here right now, but anyone could come out at any moment and see this. She didn't pull away though. She couldn't, not now. He was stroking her arm softly, and she closed her eyes. 

"I'm so glad we're not on the block this week," Liz said lazily. "I can't believe James is going after Clay and Shelli."

"After they tried to throw us under the bus to him, they totally deserve it," Austin muttered. 

"I know-uh. They can go home for all I care. I honestly hope it's Clay. He's never even tried to talk game with me."

"Wow, really?" 

"Yeah."

Liz felt something hard poking her from behind, and she didn't need to guess what it was. She couldn't blame him, not really. It wasn't like there was anything he could do about it, and he wasn't exactly getting any in the Big Brother house. None of them were, she thought with disappointment. She liked to do it a lot - every night wasn't too much for her. After almost two months of nothing whatsoever, she was feeling the lack of it. For all of Ryan's faults, he had the strongest sex drive of any of the guys she dated. Sometimes he'd be so horny that as soon as they got back to his apartment he'd push her against the wall or onto the couch, push up her dress, and fuck her right there while she was still in her heels. She missed that so much. 

But Ryan wasn't here. Austin was. 

Not that she would do anything with him, of course. 

\--

They were all having dinner, and she couldn't ignore his eyes on her. Everyone was talking about random shit, trying to pretend they were all best friends, and Austin couldn't keep his eyes of her.

She'd noticed it in the past, of course, but she'd tried to pretend he wasn't. This time, she liked that he was looking at her. The events of that afternoon kept replaying in her head. Not just what had happened physically between them, but also the things he'd said. How he'd told her how beautiful she was, how much he liked her, how she made the game worth it to him. She had wanted to tell him she liked him to - liked his personality, but also liked his body, how strong and tall he was. She wanted to tell him how hot it was when he lifted 300 pounds. 

"This chicken is great, Liz," Shelli remarked. "You're a great cook."

"Thanks, Shelli," Liz replied, glad her hours of slaving away in the kitchen had been appreciated. 

"She's the best cook," Austin agreed. 

Liz smiled. Julia shot her a look from her other side, but Liz ignored her twin. 

"I learned everything from my mom," Liz said. "She runs a catering company. Julia and I both used to work for her. We still do, sometimes. She pays us well."

"That's awesome," said Vanessa, oblivious to any of the tension at the table. 

"Yeah," agreed Meg. Meg was very agreeable.

"Y'all need to cater for me," said James, taking a big bite of chicken. "This stuff is what I call quality."

Liz blushed at the compliments. It was nice to be recognized for her skill. As a model, she was all too used to everything being about her looks. 

"After they cater for me," cut in Austin. He had already finished the chicken on his plate. 

"They're going to have a lot of business after the show is over," said Shelli. 

"Hopefully," Liz agreed. "A lot of us will hopefully get opportunities after this show."

She knew Austin was hoping to get signed by a wrestling company. After what had happened with WWE, he deserved a fresh start. She wanted that for him, she realized. He deserved good things after how hard he worked, not only physically but mentally.

\--

Liz and Julia had slept together in bed the night before, but now she wanted to sleep in the purple room where she could have bed to herself. She didn't object to Liz sharing a bed with Austin. Ever since that first night, she hadn't said much about her sister's relationship with him, and Liz knew she didn't care as much as she'd seemed to originally. She was just pissed at Austin. Even her anger was dissipating fast, though. She'd been joking around with him after dinner that night, and though she would never trust him, she'd stopped hating him so much. 

Everyone was asleep now except for them. As usual, Liz was lying at the edge of the bed, turned away from Austin. His arms were wrapped around her comfortingly, holding her gently. And then he whispered in her ear, "Can you turn around, I want to hold you."

And she did. She didn't even know why, but she turned and they were facing each other. She was pressed against his chest like she'd been earlier that day, and his arms were so strong holding him to her. She found her hands tracing his muscles as he held her, and they both breathed softly. 

In the dark she couldn't see his face, but she felt his lips kissing her. She kissed him back, and it wasn't just a quick pop kiss this time. He was sucking softly on her lips with his, and then his tongue was pressing for entry. She opened her mouth to accept it, letting his tongue enter. She met it with hers and then he was gripping her face gently but forcefully in his hands to get a better angle. His tongue circled around her mouth and brushed over her teeth, and hers did the same to him. Then they broke apart.

He kissed her again, not just once, but again and again. She returned each one. Their lips moved together in the dark until she finally had enough and moved her head away. He kissed her neck softly, making her shiver.  Then his lips found her ear. He nipped and tugged at it, and she closed her eyes so she could feel the sensation more powerfully. This drove her crazy. She loved having her ear bitten during sex; it would drive her crazy. Without the sex part it was good enough. 

His hands were under the sheets, then, rubbing her ass over her pajama pants. Part of her wished he'd just put his hand under them. Her nipples almost painfully hard, pushing against her t-shirt. His hands left her ass to cup her breasts in his hands, still over the shirt, and she left out a soft sigh. His hands were so big, so strong, but also so gentle as he squeezed them softly.

"Good night, Austin," she whispered after a few moments of this. She pulled the covers up to her chin and turned around to sleep.

"Good night, Liz," he whispered back.  


End file.
